The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to traction apparatus, and more particularly to a portable cervical traction apparatus and platform for use therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In cases involving injury to the spine or neck, a primary necessity in emergency treatment and subsequent medical treatment is that the patient be immobilized in the region of the injury. Devices and apparatus have been developed for doing this, however most of such devices and apparatus have concentrated on the emergency treatment and transportation of the patient.
One such device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,100 issued Dec. 20, 1938 to Warden, entitled "Splint Stretcher Board". The device is essentially a rigid generally planar body member having casters or rollers, with handle means.
Another litter device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,925, issued Aug. 1, 1950 to Shaw, entitled "Patient Supporting Means". The litter is a collapsible pole litter having traction and countertraction means at opposite ends thereof, these means being in the form of a rotatable rod member operable through a form of ratchet device to apply tension, as needed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,453, issued Apr. 3, 1973 to Dixon et al, entitled "Splints", there is shown a device having a generally rigid board member, to which is attached a plurality of strap members to form a harness for immobilizing the head portion of an injured person along with the neck for suspected neck injury situations.
An upper torso board is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,268, issued to Phillips on Sept. 30, 1969, entitled "Fracture Board". The board is configured for abutting the back neck and head of the person, with a neck support member, and strap means for fixedly positioning the patient relative to the board.
Another such upper torso device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,748, issued to Winner, on July 12, 1977, entitled "Spinal Restraint Device". This device includes means abutting the sides of the head about which strap members extend for engaging the forehead of the patient.
A "Universal Short Spine Board" is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,654, issued to Sherman on Mar. 13, 1979, the device including a board having attached thereto a conforming vent for securing the patient relative to the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,830, issued to Vick on May 19, 1981 entitled "Combination Spine Board and Head Stabilizer" shows a device having a removable head stabilizer for immobilizing the head and neck area of a patient prior to extrication from a vehicle or the like.
Such prior art devices are primarily intended for use in rendering emergency treatment at the scene of an accident, such as a vehicular accident, where it is preferable, when spinal or cervical injuries are suspected, to immobilize the patient, usually prior to removal from the vehicle. Such devices are therefore temporary as far as use is concerned. At the medical facility, the patient is examined, x-rayed, and, if necessary, placed in a more permanent arrangement where traction is required.
Installations at hospital facilities for traction generally include a rigid platform on which the patent is placed, and secured, with traction apparatus then attached to the patient. For cervical situations, a device such as a Gardner Wells tongs may be attached to the head of the patient, with a traction cord secured to the tongs, the cord then being passed over a pulley, with the other end of the cord being attached to suitable traction weights. In such arrangements, the pulley is secured to a point fixed relative to the platform. This then applies tension to the head of the patient in accordance with the amount of weight.
However, for further diagnostic treatment, such as utilizing a computerized tomography (C.T.scan) apparatus, the patient must be removed from the traction for transportation and passing through the C.T.scan opening, which is approximately two feet in diameter. For cervical trauma patients, treatment usually includes placing the patient in continuous skeletal traction. Oftentimes the patient is placed in a "turning frame", comprised of a posterior platform and an anterior platform, the posterior platform allowing the patient to be supported in a supine position and the anterior platform providing support for the patient in a prone position while maintaining cervical traction and alignment.
The difficulty is maintaining traction and body alignment while transferring the patient from the turning frame. In the case of computerized tomography, the patient must then be lifted onto a "scanner platform", which resembles an x-ray table. At the present time, the method used entails removing the traction weights, and lifting the patient, by hand, onto the scanner platform. During this procedure, a physician usually lifts the patient's head and applies traction to the neck, manually. Once the scanning operation is performed, the procedure is then repeated, with manual traction again being applied until permanent traction is arranged.
Turning frames of conventional design utilize tubular steel or aluminum for the posterior platform on which the patient is placed. For that reason, it is not effective to simply leave the patient attached to the posterior platform while passing the patient through the C.T.scanner. The metallic content of the platform is radio-opaque, and results in tremendous aberrations in the data obtained by the scanner. Consequently unnecessary moving of the patient, as described, is required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cervical traction apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus which includes a radiolucent platform compatible for use with conventional turning frames.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable traction apparatus of compact size.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method for transferring a patient from conventional traction to portable traction.